Frequently Asked Questions About the Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health Partnership

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Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health are partnering during a time of extraordinary change in cancer medicine.

Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health are teaming up to provide patients in New Jersey and the surrounding region with the highest-quality care, and to lead the way in research to benefit patients worldwide. Learn more about the goals and benefits of this partnership.

1. Why have these two cancer leaders decided to unite in our efforts to deliver outstanding care?

This is a time of unprecedented change in cancer medicine. Our two world-class organizations — both of which share a deep commitment to caring for patients in New Jersey and around the world — are aligning to rewrite the story of cancer care for patients in the state.  The Memorial Sloan Kettering– Hackensack Meridian Health partnership will combine our unrivaled level of expertise in all areas of cancer care and research, as well as our commitment to excellence, to accelerate new discoveries and improve the lives of patients we jointly serve.

2. What is the goal of this strategic partnership agreement?

The goal of this partnership is simple: to find more treatments for cancer faster while ensuring that residents have access to the highest-quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

According to a report by the American Cancer Society, New Jersey has a higher cancer incidence rate than the national average. This strategic partnership will allow us to both optimize clinical care delivery and enhance research and discovery throughout New Jersey and beyond. We will use our considerable knowledge to create consistent standards of care across all locations, and bring clinical trials to more people in more areas of the state than ever before. We also aim to train a new generation of leaders in the field.

3. How will patients benefit from this partnership?

Residents of New Jersey and the surrounding region who are affected by cancer will have the opportunity to receive world-class cancer care close to home. Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health will harness our respective unparalleled level of experience in all areas of cancer care and research to accelerate cancer discoveries to improve the lives of the patients we serve. Patients will benefit from precision medicine, immunotherapy, cell-based therapies, earlier cancer diagnosis, and an unmatched continuum of care that will support them throughout active treatment and beyond into survivorship. Equally as exciting, our communities will have greater access to hundreds of clinical trials to improve care for many types of cancer.

4. How will this partnership impact cancer treatment overall?

The sheer size and scope of this collaboration will generate knowledge that will benefit cancer patients worldwide. Our joint expertise in all types of cancer care will enable us to more rapidly identify and implement standards of care, accelerate cancer research and discovery, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Patients in New Jersey will have more access to a broad portfolio of clinical trials — including phase I trials  — offered by Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health. We will share clinical outcomes and biologic data using precision analytics and data analysis to identify and implement best care practices and research for patients receiving cancer care at all Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health partnership sites.

5. What locations are included in this partnership?

All Memorial Sloan Kettering locations in New Jersey (MSK Basking Ridge, MSK Monmouth, and MSK Bergen, opening in 2018) and Hackensack Meridian Health locations that offer cancer care (John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, HackensackUMC Mountainside in Montclair, HackensackUMC Palisades in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood, and Meridian Health Village at Jackson) will participate.

Both Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health will independently own, operate, and manage our existing New Jersey sites. A joint entity will be created to own and operate any newly developed sites in New Jersey in areas we do not currently serve.

6. Who will be providing services at these locations?

Physicians employed by Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health — including the Hackensack Division of Regional Cancer Care Associates and physicians who participate in Hackensack Meridian Health’s Clinically Integrated Network — will continue to care for patients at their respective sites, using a unified standard of care across all partnership locations.

7. What type of oversight will these centers have?

A clinical council led by internationally recognized experts in all subtypes of cancer from Memorial Sloan Kettering, the John Theurer Cancer Center, and Hackensack Meridian Health will develop and implement cancer care standards throughout the partnership. With a deep commitment to providing the highest quality care and improving patient outcomes, the two organizations will reduce the burden that cancer places on patients and families.